Sprinkler alarm valve

ABSTRACT

AN ALARM VALVE MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE DELIVERY OF FLUID TO A SPRINKLER SYSTEM AND BEING OPTIONALLY SETTABLE FOR EITHER A WET OR A DRY SYSTEM, SAID VALVE INCORPORATING A CLACK ARRANGED IN A VALVE OPENING, AND AN ALARM PORT, WHEREIN SAID VALVE OPENING AND SAID ALARM PORT ARE FORMED WITH CONCENTRIC SEALING FACES ARRANGED IN THE SAME PLACE AND A COMMON SEALING MEMBER IS PROVIDED TO CLOSE BOTH SAID OPENING AND SAID PORT. SAID SEALING MEMBER AND SAID CLACK ARE ALSO PROVIDED WITH MEANS TO PREVENT, IN THE WET STATE, UNINTENTIONAL OPERATION OF THE ALARM IN THE EVENT OF A CHANGE IN THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CLARK.

United States Patent Inventors Douglas Michael Venison Billerieay, ESSQX; George Allen, Pinner, Middlesex, England Appl. No. 734,577 Filed Dec. 18, 1968 Patented June 28, 1971 Assignee Matthew Hall Mechanical Services Limited London, Enghnd Priority Oct. 21, 1968 Great Britain 49,878/68 SPRINKLER ALARM VALVE 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 169/19, 169/20 Int. Cl. A62c 37/06 Field of Search 169/19, 20, 21, 22

[56] References Cited UN lTED STATES PATENTS 1,689,980 10/1928 Tyden 169/22 3,098,527 7/1963 Allen et al 169/19 Primary Examiner-Lloyd L. King Assistant ExaminerThomas C. Culp, Jr. Attorney-Baldwin, Wight, Diller and Brown common sealing member is provided to close both said opening and said port. Said sealing member and said clack are also provided with means to prevent, in the wet state, unintentional operation of the alarm in the event of a change in the pressure differential on opposite sides. of said clack.

SHEET 2 OF 3 SPRINKLER ALARM VALVE This invention relates to alarm valves for sprinkler systems of the kind known as alternate sprinkler installations.

Alternate sprinkler installations are used when there is a danger of water in the sprinkler pipes becoming frozen under winter conditions, and during this period it is desirable to drain the system and pressurize it with air. In such installations it is normal practice to provide two alarm valves arranged one on top of the other Le. a dry alarm valve arranged above a wet alarm valve so that either can be used according to whether the system is required for use in a dry or a wet state.

The use of two alarm valves has the disadvantage that it increases the cost of the installation and increases the space required for installing the equipment, and it is among the objects of the present invention to overcome this disadvantage.

According to the present invention there is provided an alarm valve mechanism for controlling delivery of fluid to a sprinkler system and being optionally settable for operation in either dry pipe systems or wet pipe systems, comprising a valve body having'a valve opening and an alarm port, a clack hingedly mounted within the body to effect closure of the opening and the alarm port, a lever system operatively cooperating with the clack, and control means operatively associated with the lever systems and operable to hold the lever system in an operativeposition where it engages the clack in the dry state of the system and to hold the lever system in an inoperative position where it leaves the clack free in the wet state of the system, wherein the valve opening and the alarm port are provided with seating faces which cooperate with the clack, said seating faces being concentric with one another and being arranged in the same, or substantially the same, plane.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which,

FIG. 1 is a cross section through an alarm valve according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding side elevation, and

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings the alarm valve comprises a castiron body 1 having a flanged inlet 2 for connection to a water supply pipe and a flanged outlet 3 for connection to the sprinkler system. The body 1 also has an access opening 4 which is normally closed by a closure plate 5 secured to the body by means of bolts 6. I

A clack 7 provided on its underside with a circular sealing member 8 is hingedly mounted within the body 1 on a spindle 9journaled in bearings 10, 11.

The sealing member 8 of the clack 7 is arranged to bear on an annular seating 12 positioned in the valve opening 13. The seating 12 is formed with an upwardly inclined pointed edge which engages the sealing member 8 and provides knife-edge contact. This has the advantage that the minimum bearing area is required to effect sealing and thus leaves the maximum area which can be acted upon by the water pressure.

The hinged arms 14 of the clack 7 are formed with elongated holes 15 thereby giving the clack limited freedom of movement so that it rests squarely on the sealing 'ring 12.

The sealing member 8, which is secured to the underside of the clack 7 by means ofa retaining ring 16 and screw bolts 17, is also arranged to enter into engagement with, and to seal, the open end of an alarm port seating member 18. In this respect, as can be seen in FIG. 1, the annular sealing edges of the annular seating 12 and the seating member 18 are on the same, or substantially the same, horizontal plane.

The alarm port seating member 18 is provided to be integral with the annular seating 12 and is mounted concentrically therewith by means of radially disposed spokes 19. One end of a bent coupling 20 is screwed into the member 18, the other end of said coupling being connected to one end ofa straight copper pipe section 21 by means of a compression joint 22. The other end of the pipe section 21 is sealed in the body 1 by means ofa boss 23 and an O-ring 24 under compression.

The underside of the clack 7 is formed at a position adjacent the member 18 with a circular recess 25 and the sealing member 8 is provided, on a circle which is of greater diameter than the seating area of the member 18 and of smaller diameter than the inner periphery of the retaining ring 16, with a plurality of spaced holes 26 which provide communication between the inlet 2 and the recess 25. Thus, it will be appreciated that, in the area of the alarm port member 18, the pressure on the inlet side of the valve will be produced in the recess 25.

In practice, when the valve is used under wet state conditions, the provision of the recess 25 will allow the sealing member 8, in the area of the aperture of the member 18, to flex in a direction perpendicular to the face of the clack. The effect of this is that, although any temporary increase in pressure on the supply side of the valve will cause the sealing member 8 to lift slightly off its seating 12 and allow seepage of water through the valve, such increase will not lift the sealing member 8 away from the alarm port member 18 and therefore the alarm will not be initiated unnecessarily. The reason for this is that the pressure differential on opposite sides of the sealing member 8, bearing in mind that the pressure in the alarm port is atmospheric, is such as to maintain the sealing member 8 in sealing contact with the member 18, the flexibility feature of the sealing member 8 being such as to permit of slight relative movement between the clack 7 and the member 18 without breaking the seal.

In its closed position, the clack 7 is held in engagement with the seating 12 and the alarm port member 18 by a lever 27 which is pivoted on a spindle 28 arranged adjacent the opening 13 in a position which is diametrically opposite that of the spindle 9. The lever 27 is in turn held in a horizontal position by means of a second lever 29 which is pivoted on the spindle 9. The second lever 29 is held down by means ofa crank lever 30 mounted on a shaft 31 which extends through a bearing assembly mounted in the wall ofthe valve body 1. The shaft 31 is coupled to known means incorporating a trigger mechanism, and generally indicated at 32, for controlling the crank lever 30 to retain the clack 7 in an open or closed position and for controlling the operation of the valve.

The valve body 1 is also provided with ports 33 and 34, the port 33 being used for testing the alarm system in the wet state and the port 34 being used for testing the alarm system in the dry state.

In use, the valve is connected between the water supply pipe and the sprinkler system and is adaptable for use when the sprinkler system is to be operated in a dry state or in a wet state.

In the dry state, the clack 7 is in the position shown in FIG. 1 where the sealing member 8 is in engagement with the seating 12 and the alarm port 18 to close the valve opening 13 and the alarm port. The levers 27 and 29 are in a horizontal position where they hold the clack 7 in its closed position and the crank lever 30 is in a horizontal position where it engages the free end of the lever 29 under the control of the control means 32.

In this position the valve is primed, it being understood that the sprinkler system is filled with pressurized air and that the inlet 2 is open to the water supply pressure. In the event of the air pressure in the system being released, normally by the actuation of a sprinkler head, the crank lever 30 will, via the control means 32, be caused to turn and to release the lever 29. The water pressure in the inlet 2 will cause pivotal movement of the clack 7 and the levers 27 and 29 move them into the position shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 1 and thereby allow water to pass into the sprinkler system. At the same time water will pass into the alarm port member 18 and will cause operation of the alarm system.

In the wet state, the levers 27 and 29 are held in the position shown in dot dash lines in FIG. 1 by means of the crank lever 30 engaging the projection 35 on the lever 27. The crank lever 30 is held in its operative position under the action of the control means 32. The clack 7 in this case remains, by virtue ofits weight, in its closed position where it seals the alarm port 18.

In the event of actuation of one of the sprinkler heads, the movement of the water through the valve will cause the clack 7 to pivot into the position shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 1 and thereby allow water to pass into the alarm port 18 to operate the alarm system.

Thus the invention provides a simple and efficient alarm valve which can be used in an alternate sprinkler system both in the wet and in the dry state. Furthermore the use ofa single clack having a single sealing member for the valve opening and for the alarm port, leads to easier repairs and maintenance.

The valve according to the invention is an improvement over the valve of our prior US. Pat. No. 3,098,527, granted July 23, 1963, and has the advantage that:

l. the sealing faces of the seating ring 12 and the alarm port member 18 are in the same plane and therefore can be accurately machined together in one operation.

2. only one rubber sealing member 8 is required to seal both the main port and the alarm port.

3. false alarms, due to surges or rises in pressure in the incoming main, whilst the valve is being used in a wet condition, are almost eliminated without detriment to the normal function of the valve.

4. the alarm port assembly is simplified and improved.

We claim:

1. An alarm valve mechanism for controlling delivery of fluid to a sprinkler system and being optionally settable for operation in either dry pipe systems or wet pipe systems, com

prising a valve body having a valve opening and an alarm port, a clack hingedly mounted within said body to effect closure of said valve opening and said alarm port, a lever system operatively associated with said clack, and control means operatively associated with said lever system and operable to hold said lever system in an operative position where it engages said clack in the dry state of the system and to hold said lever system in an inoperative position where it leaves said clack free in the wet state of the system, wherein said valve further comprises a seating face on said valve opening, a seating face on said alarm port, and a sealing member provided on said clack to close said valve opening and said alarm port, said seating faces being concentric with one another and being arranged in the same horizontal plane, said clack being formed on its face adjacent said alarm port with a circular recess and said sealing member being formed with one or more spaced holes to provide communication between the inlet side of said valve and said circular recess whereby, in use, in the area of said alarm port a pressure differential exists on opposite sides of said sealing member.

2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which said alarm port comprises part of an alarm port assembly consisting of an alarm port seating member arranged integral with said valve opening seating, a bent coupling attached to one end of said alarm port seating member, and a straight pipe section extending between said bent coupling and an opening in said valve body. 

